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Chapter 5- The Great Wall of Southeast Asia

We left off with the epic war vs Dasarna, where we vassalized Pandyas and Kalinga, and took most of Dasarna's lands, making us the dominant Indian nation.
I adopt the Feudal Monarchy Gov't, losing 2 stability but gaining 3 prestige and taking the first step towards an Absolute Monarchy (but that obviously won't come for a long time, and I probably won't make it that far.)
I realize I can colonize neighboring provinces if they are uncolonized. Eventually to stop others from stealing SE Asia, I form a strategy to just colonize a line featuring the border of everyone else's borders (thus the Great Wall of SE Asia.)
I get a mission to Crush Parthia while they're still at war with Persia, but they make peace while I build my armies to prepare.
Here is the scoreboard for army size:
Han: 180,683
Rome: 167,993
Cappadocia: 69K
Lombard: 59K
Parthia: 44K
Satavahana: 38,961
Sakas: 37,949
Yamato and Ordovices: 35K each
Teutons and Frisians: 32K each
Moravs: 30K
Magyars: 27K
I get a mission to lower my WE.
I get an event about my Master of the Mint (Level 5) and get 2 stability and also get an additional .1 inflation reduction for 6 years.
I get an event giving me 2.5 tax for a year.
Sakas breaks our alliance, but accepts an alliance offer
Sakas DOWs and annexes what is left of Dasarna.
I raise new armies to reach the 60K threshold. Rome's army is down to just over 100K.
I get yet another event giving me .5 inflation but giving me about 150,000 of gov't tech investment.
I get into trouble with my infamy limit for a while. Since I'm ruled by a regency and I have so much WE, my legitimacy has gone down, and thus so has my infamy limit. So I get a better diplomat and Legitimacy person (I don't know what they're called.)
I get yet another advisor event for my diplomat, getting 10 prestige, 2 diplomats (I already have 5) and, most importantly, losing 6 infamy.
My advisor team in 43 AD:
At this point the only people in the Indian tech group (which is more advanced than any other) are me, my vassals, and the Sri Lankan nation.
The most valuable trade goods at this point:Whales: 148.9 (an insane amount)
Chemicals: 85.1
Petrol: 82.5
Uranium: 64.6
Diamonds: 31.3
Pearls: 29.2
Horses: 29
Salt: 27.7
Silver: 27.5
Corn: 24.4
Wine: 23.4
Fur: 22.3
Steel: 19.6
Kushans have taken colonies from Tibet making them border me, and since they are nomadic, we go to war automatically. I easily seize those 2 colonies. After that, our border disappears, and we are no longer at war.
I make a decision to "Became Oriental" (note the past tense "became"...), changing my tech group to Chinese (I checked, and it is more efficient in research than the Indian Tech Group.)
Kushans tries and fails to fund a pretender.
I get an event which either spawns 20K rebels or reduces prestige by 2 and local tax in a province by 10%. I choose the latter.
I get an event giving me 10 prestige.
I complete the old mission and get a new one to convert a province to Buddhism.
Sakas calls me to arms against northern countries (with Xiongnu being the leader.) I join, of course.
I get lucky and convert the province in the first year. My new mission is to improve relations with Tibet (whom I planned on DOWing, before realizing they are in Han's sphere.)
Smirna's COT ends, and by the luck of the draw, I get a new one in Bombay.
I get an event giving me money and plutocracy or stability and aristocracy. I choose the former.
I get a slider change and move towards Free Subjects. I lose 147 manpower.
I get trading in Spices, Cotton and Diamonds, with the latter being signifacantly more important, as it reduces my Revolt Risk by 1, increases my tax by 8%, and my legitimacy by 5% each year.
Finally, a useful mission. I get the create a proper fleet mission.
I get the monetary reforms event. I can't afford the inflation, so I enact them.
Tarsus defects to Rome, while Acre defects to Judea, who now looks very Israel-like.
After 5 years of (not) fighting, I am forced to WP Xiongnu.
Another COT bites the dust, followed by the formation of another.
I will now get Han in the same dynasty on their monarch's death (clearly I can't claim their throne just yet.)
The richest COT now belongs to Han.
I get an event increasing local RR in a province by 1.
Apparently Judea is at war with Egypt.
Parthia declares war on Judea.
I get an event which gives a base tax one place, and takes away a point of stability and base tax somewhere else (the other option was Serfdom gain 2, which I can't do.)
Tibet dishonors an alliance.
Tibet starts competing with me for colonies (thus the GWoSEA strategy.)
Gerrha (in Arabia) forms a union with Magyars.
I get an event to either lose 1 stab or go Serfdom. I choose the former.
I get another mission to attack Parthia. I raise another army and then get goin'.
By 54AD I've joined the heavy hitters (Rome and China) in the 1000 income club. I have 1020.5, Rome has 5478.8 (apparently they are on the rise again), and Han has 4233.6, so I've still got a long way to go to even dream of taking any of them on.
Rome's army is now over 300K, so, again, it looks like they are back to their invincible selves.
I get an event which either gives me 3 spies or 2 prestige. I choose the latter as I already have 5 spies.
Parthia's allies dishonor Parthia's call, a testimate to my power.
By completing the mission I get prestige and a core. I DOW with the Colonial Conquest CB which gives 20% infamy, reducing the already low infamy figures of the mod to .5 per province.
Armenia joins the cool kids club and DOWs Parthia as well.
Yet another COT bites the dust to be replaced with the creation of another.
Although DOWing Parthia at first seems like a suicide mission (think Crassus), but it's clear that in this case it's not:
Cappadocia somehow goes bankrupt.
A Parthian army attacks with a 14-10 numbers advantage. However the terrain malice is too much and the enemy army is completely annihilated.
The first city falls on New Years 56 AD.
My core is taken in Late March of the same year.
For some reason something happens which ends my alliance, but I quickly re-offer them one and they accept.
I get naval tech advancement event, giving me .5 inflation but giving me a massive amount of tech investment in naval (which, even if you are nearly 200 years ahead, is 1/5 of the total cost).
Zahedan falls in late November.
Parthia annexes Ithuarea (they were also in a big war in the west.)
I lose a major battle, but I am luckily able to retreat to a province held by someone whom I have Military access from.
Bamyan falls in mid-July 57.
Parthia's armies show me time and time again that they are no joke, so I get three provinces from them for 1.5 infamy (I would get another if it was connected.)
Persia DOWs Gerrha, a nation right across the Strait of Hormuz.
Parthia gets land from Nabatia, their former enemy, and Sarmatians get land from their former enemy Magyars.
I conclude this chapter with a world map (you have to follow the link)http://oi49.tinypic.com/et9qme.jpg
I have posted two screenshots from this time period on the Strange Screenshots thread:http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...ots&p=13790874

It seems that everything that is wrong with Steppe Wolf may have caught up to me, as I have tried four times to reload the game only for it to crash. If I can get this to work then the AAR will continue, but if I can't I'm afraid I'll have to call this AAR indefinitely postponed if not over..

So I got it to the opening menu, that's a good sign. If i fail again to continue the game, I'll just start fresh as someone else (I think I'll do it in this thread.)
EDIT: Crashed on 1 April again. If I can get this to work some other time I'll definitely continue the existing AAR, but for now I'll start again as someone else.